Xyloglucan is a major structural polysaccharide in the primary (growing) cell wall of plants. Structurally, xyloglucans consists of a cellulose-like beta-1,4-linked glucose backbone which is frequently substituted with various side chains. Xyloglucan is believed to function in the primary wall of plants by cross-linking cellulose micro fibrils, forming a cellulose-xyloglucan network.
Xyloglucanses are capable of catalyzing the solubilization of xyloglucan to xyloglucan oligosaccharides. Some xyloglucanases only exhibit xyloglucanase activity, whereas others exhibit both xyloglucanase and cellulase activity. Xyloglucanses may be classified in EC 3.2.1.4 or EC. 3.2.1.151. Enzymes with xyloglucanase activity are for example described in Vincken et al., 1997, Carbohydrate Research 298(4): 299-310, wherein three different endoglucanases EndoI, EndoV and EndoVI from Trichoderma viride (similar to T. reesei) are characterized. EndoI, EndoV and EndoVI belongs to family 5, 7 and 12 of glycosyl hydrolases, respectively, see Henrissat, 1991, Biochem. J. 280: 309-316, and Henrissat and Bairoch, 1993, Biochem. J. 293: 781-788. WO 94/14953 discloses a family 12 xyloglucanase (EG II) cloned from the fungus Aspergillus aculeatus. WO 99/02663 discloses family 12 and family 5 xyloglucanases cloned from Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus agaradhaerens, respectively. WO 01/062903 discloses family 44 xyloglucanases.
In particular WO 99/02663 and WO 01/062903 suggest that xyloglucanases may be used in detergents.
It is an object of the present invention to provide variants of xyloglucanases belonging to family 44 of glycosyl hydrolases with improved properties compared to its parent enzyme.